Motive and Murder
by kismet-wayfinder
Summary: Oneshot. Gwen wants to reserve the latest upcoming book in a series, but there's one slight problem - someone beat her to it, and she wants explanations.


**I don't own Ben 10.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Storming out of the library, thirteen year old Gwen Tennyson balled her hands into fists at her sides. Her hair bristling on end, she stormed down the sidewalk, heading not for own house, but for the house where her aunt, uncle and cousin resided. After all, said cousin had some serious explaining to do.<p>

"_What do you mean it's been reserved already? No one is as crazy about the Moonlight series as me. Besides, the next book isn't due to come out for an entire year. In fact, the release date was only announced just earlier today. How could I have possibly not signed up to borrow it early enough?"_

"_I'm really sorry, Gwen," _the librarian had said to her with a sigh. _"But it really was reserved to be borrowed ahead of you, just this morning."_

Feeling really frustrated at hearing this, Gwen said, _"Could you at least, _please_, tell me who it was that reserved it? I mean, that way I'd at least have someone to discuss the series with. I guess."_

With a few strikes of her computer keys, the librarian answered her, _"Benjamin Tennyson reserved it. Your cousin."_

Outraged, Gwen had exclaimed in as loud a voice as she'd dared to, given she was in the library, _"He doesn't even _like_ the series! He mocks it frequently. Why on Earth would-"_

"_I don't know, Gwen. Maybe you'd be better off asking him for an explanation."_

And so, this was exactly what she planned to do, now as she approached his front yard. She spotted her uncle sat atop a riding lawnmower, cutting the grass. She waved at him with a brief smile, before resuming her grimace as she stepped up to the front door, knocking on it a few times in quick succession.

"Hey, Aunt Sandra," she said when the door was opened by her aunt, who had a duster in her other hand. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, how are you, Gwen?" the woman returned. "I was just doing a bit of cleaning."

"I'm okay. I just needed to talk to Ben."

"Oh, what has he done now?" the blonde woman replied at once with a sigh when she noticed the faint frown on her neice's face, before giving a chuckle and adding, "You'll find him in the living room."

"Thank you," Gwen answered her with a nod and a smile, before entering into the home and taking a sharp right, entering into the living room. "Hey, _Ben_."

Looking up from his handheld game system, the brown-haired, green-eyed teenager gave his approaching cousin a wary look. He could tell by the way she'd said his name that he'd done something to annoy her. Sure, it seemed impossible, considering that he hadn't so much as spoken to her in at least a week, but who was he kidding? He was always getting on her nerves in some form or fashion.

"Hey, Gwen… what's up?"

Smiling in a truly sinister way, the fiery redhead sat herself down on the couch alongside Ben, before saying to him, "_So_, do you like the _Moonlight_ series? Remind me again."

"Of course not," he said at once, shaking his head. "It's ridiculous. It's a monument to how a single person managed to ruin _vampires_, of all things. You know I don't like it. And really, saying I don't like it is an understatement."

"As I thought," Gwen replied casually, before narrowing her eyes just ever so slightly, and scooting over a tiny bit closer, nearer to her cousin. "So can you tell me something else?"

"Maybe," Ben replied at once, worried at why his cousin was acting so fake-nice towards him.

"_Why_ did you - if you, indeed, hate the series so much - go into the library today and reserve the next book in the series a year in advance?"

"Oh, well duh. Isn't it obvious why I'd reserve it? I did it so you'd definitely have it when it comes out. Mom had to go to the library to get some tax books this morning - she's filing her ownself this year for some reason, and needed to study up on it, or something. Anyway, I saw something this morning on the news about the release date of the next book, and there was some girl there _in_ the library wearing a _Moonlight_: _the First Film_ T-Shirt, and I figured I'd reserve the book before she could."

Feeling both surprised that her cousin had been so thoughtful, and a little silly for not guessing this as a possibility in the first place, Gwen didn't say anything at first.

"Well, a _thank you_ would be nice, but then again, you came over here prepared to murder me in my own living room, didn't you?" Ben said to her, before slowly resuming gameplay on his handheld. "I'm glad you think it's impossible for me to do something nice for my own cousin once in a blue moon."

Slowly glancing over to Ben, Gwen said, "And you don't want or need anything in return for the favor you did me, reserving that book?"

Not looking away from his game, he answered, "…_nah_."

"Are you sure about that?" Gwen asked, but before Ben could say anything else, his mother had come into the room.

"Benjamin, why are you still playing that game? Don't you have reading homework to finish up?"

"I did it already," he replied automatically, earning suspicious looks from both his mother and his cousin; looking up from the game, he added, "I did!"

"Okay then," Sandra Tennyson answered, leaving the room as Ben saved and turned off his game.

"So…" he said to Gwen, giving her a sugary-sweet smile. "Want to discuss the reading we had for homework?"

Sighing, the redhead said, "Okay, what part didn't you understand?"

"Uhm, mostly all of it, since I didn't read it, exactly, er, not as one typically reads a book?"

"_Ben_!"

"Hey, I did something nice for you first!" he replied defensively.

"But you just - I just asked if - you said - _Urgh!_"

"Well, if you don't want to help me after I did you a favor, that's okay," the boy said in a fake, wounded-sounding voice, before looking away.

"You liar! I _asked _if you wanted a favor in return, and you said _no_! You totally _lied_! I'm telling!"

Looking back at his cousin, Ben raised his eyebrows, before sticking out his bottom lip. Rolling her eyes, Gwen placed a hand over her face. "_I can't stand you sometimes_."

Knowing he had won, Ben glanced away from her quickly, looking away to conceal his grin.

"And I _know_ you're smiling now," Gwen added.

"Nuh-uh," Ben said, before putting on a blank, almost too innocent-looking face as he looked back to his cousin. "I was not."

"_Urgh!_"

"I'll just go and get a notebook - you can let me write down the important things I should have - how does our teacher put it? - 'taken away' from the book? Yeah, that. Oh but wait, I don't have a pen."

"I do in my pocket," Gwen said, before taking it out.

"Cool, but, since I'm not used to writing with it, maybe you should do the writing for me," Ben said.

"I hate you!" Gwen exclaimed.

"Love you, too," Ben replied sweetly, before ducking out of the way as Gwen tried to punch him in the shoulder.

Maybe he was going to be murdered in his living room that morning, after all.


End file.
